Every year vast quantities of biomass are produced that are finally disposed via conventional methods. In the art and as well in the present document, by the term “biomass” is understood, in a broad manner, an organism that once lived, or a part of an organism that once lived, or a part of an organism that is currently living, that organism being of plant, animal or human origin.
Various methods are currently known for the final disposition of biomass, such as interment, thermal cremation, hydrothermal processing such as alkaline hydrolysis, laser ablation, and others. Thermal cremation methods are characterized by a relatively high CO2 foot print, and emission of potentially hazardous gaseous species into the environment, especially toxic volatile metals such as mercury. Further, regardless of the method used, the known disposition methods produce solids and fluids that might present potential environmental hazards if directly released into the environment without any further due treatment, since they contain organic and inorganic species that may negatively impact the milieu, specifically the air, the ground and the drain system.
Upon the termination of a final disposition, by thermal cremation or by hydrothermal processing, especially in the case of human remains or animal remains, family members, and owners closest to the disposed elect to receive keepsake remains, consisting mainly of powdered bone fragments that are placed in an urn or other enclosures. The powdered bone fragments placed in an urn or other enclosures are prone to be dispersed and lost, if the holder (urn, or other enclosures) is breached or broken.
To alleviate some of the environmental impact, as related to CO2 emission for example, disposition methods, such as the alkaline hydrolysis method, is are being introduced. The alkaline hydrolysis method is a hydrothermal process using an aqueous alkaline solution to aggressively dissolve the biomass in a relatively short time. The alkaline hydrolysis method is characterized by a lower CO2 foot print as compared to a thermal cremation, and practically no emission of hazardous gaseous species into the environment, but at the same time it presents a different environmental hazard which is associated with the generation and uncontrolled release of potentially hazardous untreated effluents.
Regardless of the environmental issues, posed by the process that originates them, the keepsake remains made from bone fragments provided by both the alkaline hydrolysis process and the thermal cremation, suffer the same faith, they are prone to be lost if the urn or the enclosure holding them is breached or broken. In addition, loose powders do not carry any esthetic or artistic value.
Alkaline materials, specifically strong alkaline solutions made with a strong base, react with the biomass to liquefy and/or emulsify the biomass. In the process, especially if the biomass comprises human or animal remains, the reaction dissolves the proteins, and emulsifies the oils and fat comprised by the biomass. During the process of dissolution, the alkaline solution, as it reacts with the proteins, denatures them. The denaturation of proteins involves the disruption and destruction of the bio-structures. As a result, once the proteins are dissolved, the structure of the biomass disintegrates, and in the presence of water, it liquefies. During this process, the alkaline solution separates the fats into glycerin and fatty acids. Further, alkali metals comprised in the alkaline solution combine with the separated fatty acids, and the result is a crude soapy liquid. The above processing is strongly accelerated if the reaction is carried out under hydrothermal conditions.
In the process of reacting a biomass containing bone materials with alkaline solutions, upon completion of liquefaction and/or emulsification as described above, the bone fragment materials such as skeleton bone members are at least partially left behind. In a typical mammal such as a human, a substantial portion of bone is primarily made up of hydroxyapatite, a calcium phosphate mineral. In a typical thermal cremation (involving direct flame), the remains after cremation are also bone fragments of the same mineral composition in addition to other organic and inorganic residues such as calcium carbonate, and various carbonaceous materials.
In the process of reacting a biomass with a hydroxide as adapted to dispose human remains and pet carcasses in an alkaline hydrolysis process, the human remains, or the pet carcass is placed into an autoclave, along with a predetermined volume of an aqueous alkaline solution, such as solutions of potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide. The autoclave is operated at a typical temperature of 130-195° C. for about 2-3 hours. As a result, the organic matter liquefies into a brownish liquid/sludge effluent, and bone fragments remain over a grid like member, physically separating them from the effluent. Operating the autoclave for longer times further reduce the amount of remaining bone fragment materials. As mentioned above, the hydrothermal conditions provided by autoclaving accelerate the reaction significantly.
As mentioned above, the alkaline hydrolysis is currently an alternative for thermal cremation. During thermal cremation the biomass is incinerated at high temperatures, causing the evaporation of water from the biomass and the destruction of organic matter, leaving behind inorganic bone fragment materials, a fraction of residual carbonaceous materials, carbonates, other materials and airborne particulates that are normally captured and filtered out by an off gas treatment system. In a thermal cremation process, normally gas burners provide heat and a combustion environment in an incinerator. Volatile metals, such as mercury that may exist in a cadaver's dental work, are also volatilized during incineration and can be emitted out into the atmosphere if not captured in the off-gas treatment equipment.
Although the alkaline hydrolysis disposition method presents several advantages over thermal cremation, such as lower CO2 foot print, and lesser emissions of hazardous gaseous species, it generates an effluent that contains organics, and various dissolved and suspended solids. The effluent, when released untreated causes at least organic pollution, since it may contain cross linked amino-acid side chains that could be potentially harmful to humans and animals, in addition to fats and nucleic acids in a multiplicity of combinations.
The solids left over from an alkaline hydrolysis disposition, usually consisting of bone fragments, are crushed or ground into powder form, placed in a container and delivered to the family and friends of the deceased. The same applies to the solids recovered from a thermal cremation disposition.
However, the solids recovered from the thermal cremation also include undesired organic and/or inorganic species. To further process and/or handle the solids recovered from thermal cremation disposition it may be necessary to further treat the recovered solids with a fluid to substantially remove the undesired portion/portions. In the process, an effluent is generated that may need to be treated before being released. The effluent may be a gaseous, air, a liquid, a solid or combination thereof.
Therefore, to summarize, the art as currently available presents a plurality of problems, such as:
The solid materials originating from a thermal cremation disposition or from an alkaline hydrolysis disposition, when powdered and placed in an urn or other enclosure, are prone to be dispersed and lost, if their holder is breached or broken;
The effluents produced by both thermal cremation and alkaline hydrolysis potentially pose danger to the environment if released untreated;
The solids originating from thermal cremation disposition may comprise portions that are undesirable, either because they are hazardous or because they cause degradation of a solid product that is to be made from these solids;
In case neither cremation or alkaline hydrolysis are elected for a final disposition of a human or animal, the opportunity of creating permanent memorialization products is lost when the human or animal origin biomass is buried;
Finding solutions to the above highlighted problems is increasingly relevant in the context of increasing world population and agglomeration of urban areas. Novel and improved solutions are necessary to deal with the final disposition of biomass, and to provide permanent and durable memorialization products for the biomass irrespective what was the mode elected for its final disposition, be it either cremation, burial, alkaline hydrolysis or others.
None of the methods currently known in the art solves the problem of how to safely dispose into the environment the effluents resulting from either thermal cremation and alkaline hydrolysis. Should the case be that the choice is not to dispose of the effluents but to convert the effluents into a keepsake, none of the available art teaches how to create from the effluent a safe, value added product that may be used to memorialize the deceased. In addition, the art does not teach how to memorialize via a product, part of a living human or animal or a deceased human or animal that is to be buried.